Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, has been ranked 170th out of 173 cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2026, making it the fourth least liveable city in the world, according to local media reports on Wednesday, 8 July 2026. The city's overall score of 43 out of 100 places it just above Dhaka, Damascus, and Tripoli — the only three cities ranked lower.

How Karachi Scored Across Key Indicators

The EIU index assesses urban liveability across five parameters: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Karachi's breakdown reveals acute vulnerabilities: it scored 20 out of 100 on stability — the lowest among all its categories — followed by 36 in culture and environment, 52 in infrastructure, 54 in healthcare, and a comparatively higher 75 in education.

The stability score is particularly stark. The EIU's benchmark measures the risk of civil unrest, crime, and conflict, and Karachi's near-floor rating reflects a city under sustained pressure on multiple fronts.

A City Struggling with Basic Services

The ranking comes against a backdrop of chronic infrastructure failures that residents have long documented. In June 2026, large parts of the city — including Saddar, Burns Road, Lyari, Clifton, Defence Housing Authority, Federal B. Area, North Karachi, Liaquatabad, Malir, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Orangi Town, Keamari, and Baldia Town — faced prolonged power cuts during the religious observance of Ashura.

Gas supply, already constrained across many neighbourhoods, reportedly disappeared entirely in several areas during iftar hours, forcing residents to seek alternative means to prepare meals. Water shortages compounded the crisis, as electricity is required to pump water to residential taps. K-Electric had claimed exemptions from scheduled loadshedding through Muharram 11, but residents reported widespread non-compliance on the ground.

One resident, Zafar Hasan, voiced frustration on social media: 'Don't they realise that people should be provided uninterrupted gas and electricity particularly during the observance of religious days when it is needed most?'

Rising Street Crime Adds to Urban Distress

Data released by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee in May 2026 documented a significant rise in street crime between January and April 2026. During this four-month period, residents were robbed of 611 cars and 13,346 motorcycles, collectively worth millions of rupees. A further 5,567 mobile phones were stolen in street crime incidents, according to Express Tribune.

Violence figures are equally alarming: 176 people were killed in murder incidents, and 61 extortion cases were reported in the same period. In April alone, 22 cars were snatched and 111 stolen, while 469 motorcycles were snatched and 2,723 stolen. That same month saw 1,624 mobile phones snatched and 42 people killed in separate incidents.

Global Context: Who Topped the Index

At the other end of the spectrum, Copenhagen claimed the top position as the world's most liveable city in the EIU Global Liveability Index 2026, followed by Vienna and Melbourne. The contrast underscores the scale of the governance and infrastructure gap that Karachi must bridge to improve its standing.

For a city of roughly 20 million people — one of South Asia's largest urban centres — the persistent slide in liveability metrics signals deepening structural challenges that will require coordinated intervention at both the provincial and federal level.